Illumination system having a plurality of light source modules disposed in an array with a non-radially symmetrical aperture
Illumination systems are disclosed, which include a plurality of light source modules, each having a light-emitting surface, and a system of optical elements configured to image the emitting surfaces onto an illumination target. The shape of the emitting surface or of the image of the emitting surface produced by the system of optical elements may substantially match the shape of the target. In addition, illumination systems are disclosed that utilize a plurality of source modules having light-emitting surfaces of different colors. Furthermore, the present disclosure is directed to illumination systems including a plurality of light source modules disposed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical aperture and to illumination systems in which the light source modules and the system of optical elements are configured to form a plurality of channels aimed substantially into the illumination target.
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The present disclosure relates to illumination systems, which may be used, for example, in projection and backlighting systems. More specifically, the disclosure relates to illumination systems that include a plurality of light source modules and a system of optical elements.
BACKGROUNDIllumination systems have a variety of applications, including projection displays, backlights for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and others. Projection systems usually include a source of light, illumination optics, an image-forming device, projection optics and a projection screen. The illumination optics collect light from a light source and direct it to one or more image-forming devices in a predetermined manner. The image-forming device(s), controlled by an electronically conditioned and processed digital video signal, produces an image corresponding to the video signal. Projection optics then magnify the image and project it onto the projection screen. White light sources, such as arc lamps, in conjunction with color wheels have been and still are predominantly used as light sources for projection display systems. However, recently, light emitting diodes (LEDs) were introduced as an alternative. Some advantages of LED light sources include longer lifetime, higher efficiency and superior thermal characteristics.
One example of an image-forming device frequently used in digital light processing systems is a digital micro-mirror device (DMD). The main feature of a DMD is an array of rotatable micro-mirrors. The tilt of each mirror is independently controlled by the data loaded into the memory cell associated with each mirror, to steer reflected light and spatially map a pixel of video data to a pixel on a projection screen. Light reflected by a mirror in an ON state passes through the projection optics and is projected onto the screen to create a bright field. On the other hand, light reflected by a mirror in an OFF state misses the projection optics, which results in a dark field. A color image also may be produced using a DMD, e.g., utilizing color sequencing, or, alternatively, using three DMDs, one for each primary color.
Other examples of image-forming devices include liquid crystal panels, such as a liquid crystal on silicon device (LCOS). In liquid crystal panels, the alignment of the liquid crystal material is controlled incrementally (pixel-to-pixel) according to the data corresponding to a video signal. Depending on the alignment of the liquid crystal material, polarization of the incident light may be altered by the liquid crystal structure. Thus, with appropriate use of polarizers or polarizing beam splitters, dark and light regions may be created, which correspond to the input video data. Color images have been formed using liquid crystal panels in the manner similar to the DMDs.
LCD backlights traditionally have included one or more light sources, such as cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs). Typical direct-lit backlights usually include an array of sources or a single extended source placed behind an LCD. Light generated by the backlight is usually diffused for increased uniformity and directed to an array of red, green and blue filters corresponding to the red, green and blue pixels of the LCD, if a color image is desired. The red, green and blue pixels modulate the transmitted red, green and blue components according to the input image data.
Performance of optical systems, such as projection and backlighting systems, may be characterized by a number of parameters, one of them being etendue. The etendue, ε, may be calculated using the following formula:
ε=A*Ω≅π*A*sin2θ=π*A*NA2
where Ω is the solid angle of emission or acceptance (in steradians); A is the area of the receiver or emitter, θ is the emission or acceptance angle, and NA is the numerical aperture. If the etendue of a certain element of an optical system is less than the etendue of an upstream optical element, the mismatch may result in loss of light, which reduces the efficiency of the optical system. Thus, performance of an optical system is usually limited by the element that has the smallest etendue. Techniques typically employed to decrease etendue degradation in an optical system include increasing the efficacy of the system (lm/w), decreasing the source size, decreasing the beam solid angle, and avoiding the introduction of additional aperture stops.
Traditional optics used in illumination systems have included various configurations, but their off-axis performance has been satisfactory only within narrowly tailored ranges. This and other shortcomings prompted complicated designs of optical elements and systems, which involved, e.g., utilization of complicated aspheric surfaces and complex combinations of numerous elements. In addition, optics in traditional illumination systems have exhibited insufficient collection characteristics. In particular, if a significant portion of a light source's output emerges at angles that are far from the optical axis, which is the case for most LEDs, conventional illumination systems fail to capture a substantial portion of such light.
Further, traditional illumination systems usually have relatively poor imaging characteristics, for example due to aberrations. In particular, that is the case for most traditional reflectors and/or collectors used in projection and backlighting applications for combining several light sources of different wavelengths. In addition, although some traditional reflective collimators have acceptable collection characteristics, for example, elliptical and parabolic reflectors, such reflectors are usually characterized by rotationally symmetric bias. Such a bias generally results in the rounding of the resultant image as well as in lack of overall correspondence between a point on the light source and a point on the target plane, thus causing loss of order and degradation of etendue.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure is directed to illumination systems including light source modules having light-emitting surfaces, an illumination target and a system of optical elements disposed between the light source modules and the illumination target. In some exemplary embodiments, the system of optical elements images the emitting surfaces of the light source modules onto the illumination target. The shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces may substantially match the shape of the illumination target, which may be, for example, a generally square entrance of a light tunnel or a generally rectangular image-forming device.
In other exemplary embodiments, the shape of an emitting surface may be substantially square, the shape of the illumination target may be substantially rectangular, and the system of optical elements may be configured so that the shape of the illumination patch substantially matches the shape of the illumination target. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, substantially superimposed images of the emitting surfaces form an illumination patch substantially filling or overfilling the illumination target. Alternatively, images of the emitting surfaces may be closely packed to form an illumination patch, or the images of the emitting surfaces may overlap to forming an illumination patch.
The present disclosure is also directed to illumination systems including light source modules, each having emitting surfaces of different colors disposed next to each other, an illumination target and a system of optical elements disposed between the light source modules and the illumination target. In some exemplary embodiments, the system of optical elements images the emitting surfaces onto the illumination target. In the appropriate embodiments, each light source module includes a first light-emitting surface of a first color, a second light-emitting surface of a second color and a third light-emitting surface of a third color. In such embodiments, the illumination target may include first, second and third color zones, and the system of optical elements may image the first emitting surface onto the first color zone, the second emitting surface onto the second color zone, and the third emitting surface onto the third color zone. The first, second and third colors may be primary colors. Optionally, the system of optical elements may include other elements, such as a lenticular array and dichroic mirrors.
The present disclosure is also directed to illumination systems in which light source modules are disposed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical aperture. The illumination systems also include illumination targets, such as an image-forming device having a plurality of mirrors rotatable about a pivot axis. In the latter case, the non-radially symmetrical aperture has a long dimension and a short dimension and is oriented so that the long dimension is aligned with the pivot axis of the mirrors of the image-forming device.
In addition, the present disclosure is directed to illumination systems including a plurality of light source modules having light-emitting surfaces, an illumination target and a system of optical elements disposed between the plurality of light source modules and the illumination target. The light source modules and the system of optical elements are configured to form a plurality of channels aimed substantially into the illumination target. The light source modules can be disposed tangentially to and along a spherical surface. Alternatively, the light source modules can be disposed substantially coplanar with each other, while the system of optical elements can be used for aiming at least some light from each light source module substantially toward the illumination target.
These and other aspects of the illumination systems of the subject invention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description together with the drawings.
So that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject invention pertains will more readily understand how to make and use the subject invention, exemplary embodiments thereof will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers designate similar elements,
The set of light source modules 12 may be configured as an array, and the light source modules, such as 72, 72′, 72″, may be mounted on one or more substrates, together or individually, so that the heat generated by the light source modules may be readily dissipated by the material of the substrate(s). Examples of substrates suitable for mounting the light source modules include printed circuit boards, such as metal-core printed circuit boards, flexible circuits, such as polyimide film with copper traces, ceramic substrates, and others. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many configurations of the set of light source modules 12 and of the individual light source modules, such as 72, 72′, 72″, are within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the number and type of light source modules may vary depending on the application, desired system configuration, dimensions of the system, and the system's output brightness.
In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in
In the appropriate embodiments of the present disclosure, each light source module has an optical element or elements associated with it in order to facilitate collection of light and to achieve the desired imaging characteristics. For example, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in
An exemplary configuration of the set of light source modules is also illustrated in
In the traditional illumination systems utilizing arc lamps, this problem was addressed by placing a truncating aperture stop in the illumination pupil to block at least a portion of the flat state reflections that overlap with the ON state reflections. However, recently, it has been shown that the contrast of DMD projection systems can be enhanced with asymmetric apertures. U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,414, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein to the extent it is not inconsistent with the present disclosure, describes contrast-enhancing asymmetric apertures, having long and short dimensions, with the long dimension being aligned with the pivot axis of the mirrors.
Thus, in the appropriate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the configuration of the set of the light source modules 12′ may be selected so that the individual light source modules are disposed within the area of the pupil that has the highest contrast, illustrated as the non-radially symmetrical aperture 4, thereby conserving illumination energy and reducing the number of the light source modules used. The configuration of the set of optical elements 13, associated with the light source modules, may be selected accordingly, and preferably will track the configuration of the set of the light source modules 12′, so that the latter also would have the overall shape substantially approximating a non-radially symmetrical aperture, as illustrated in
Other configurations of the sets of light source modules and the sets of optical elements, for example sets of lenses 14 and 16 shown in
The lenslets of the sets 14 and 16, such as lenslets 74, 74′, 74″ and 76, 76′, 76″, preferably are meniscus lenses configured substantially as the lenslets 74 and 76 shown in
As one example, dimensions of the lenslets 74 and 76 include a center thickness of about 8.8 mm, about −55 mm radius of the concave surfaces, and aspheric convex surface (described by the general aspheric equation) with the radius of about −10 mm and with a conic constant of about −0.55. The convex surface is made aspheric in order to reduce aberrations and to avoid the resulting loss of light. Optionally, the concave surface may be made aspheric as well. However, the performance of such lenses is more strongly influenced by the shape of the convex surface. Nonetheless, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the overall shape and size of the lenslets may vary depending on the specific application, configuration of the system and the system's size. The material of the lenses is preferably acrylic, but polycarbonate, polystyrene, glass or any other suitable material may be used as well. In general, materials with higher indexes of refraction are preferred, but ultimately the choice will be made depending on the factors important for a particular application, such as cost, moldability, ease of refractive index matching with optical glues or epoxies, etc.
In the appropriate embodiments of the present disclosure, the lenslet 74, having a concave side 74a and a convex side 74b, is disposed before the light source module 72, so that the concave side 74a generally faces the emitting surface 724. The lenslet 76, having a concave side 76a and a convex side 76b, is disposed so that the concave side 76a is adjacent to the convex side 74b. Preferably, the concave side 76a of the lenslet 76 is in direct contact with the convex side 74b of the lenslet 74 in order to maximize light collection efficiency, but in some embodiments the lenslets may be separated by a distance of up to about 4 mm and still have acceptable light collection characteristics. Larger spacings are also within the present disclosure, but such configurations are likely to have decreased collection efficiency if the spacing is increased without also increasing the outer dimensions of the lenslet 76. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that placing the lenslets 74 and 76 closer together and increasing the diameter of the lenslet 76 will usually allow collection of light within a wider range of angles and vise versa. The lenslets may be held together by a suitable optical glue or epoxy that is substantially index matched to the material of the lenslets.
Referring further to
Light tunnels suitable for use with the appropriate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,625,738 and 6,332,688, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein to the extent they are not inconsistent with the present disclosure. A light tunnel would serve to homogenize the output of the light emitting modules, such as 72, 72′, 72″, and thus precise imaging of the emitting surfaces would not be needed in the exemplary embodiments utilizing light tunnels. The light tunnel 19 may be a mirror tunnel, e.g., a rectangular tunnel, solid or hollow, or an elongated tunnel composed of a solid glass rod that relies on total internal reflection to transfer light through it. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous shape combinations for the input and output ends of the light tunnels are possible.
In other exemplary embodiments, the illumination target 17 may be an image-forming device, e.g., a DMD, a liquid crystal panel or one or more pixels or color zones of a liquid crystal display. In such embodiments, more precise imaging may be desired. In addition, such embodiments, if used in projection systems utilizing one or more DMDs, would benefit from arranging the light source modules to approximate substantially the shape of the contrast-enhancing asymmetric aperture, illustrated in
The emitting surfaces of the light source modules, such as those of the light source modules 72, 72′, 72″, can be given a specific shape to improve the performance of the illumination system 10. For example, one or more of the emitting surfaces may be shaped to match substantially the shape of the target 17. In particular, if the target 17 is a square entrance to a light tunnel 19, one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules may also be generally shaped as squares. If, on the other hand, the target 17 is a rectangular image-forming device having an aspect ratio of about 16:9 (which is usually the case in high definition televisions), one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules may also be generally shaped as rectangles, preferably with about the same aspect ratios. Alternatively, images of generally square emitting surfaces may be closely packed to substantially fill a rectangular illumination target. It will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that other general shapes of the emitting surfaces and of the illumination targets are within the scope of the present disclosure.
Referring further to
Another group of exemplary embodiments of the illumination systems of the present disclosure is illustrated in
For example,
In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in
Referring further to
The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein light from one or more of the light source modules is focused onto the same illumination target by aiming the individual channels into the target can use fewer parts, can have lower cost, can be more efficient, and in some embodiments can result in brighter output than typical embodiments utilizing shared condensers. However, exemplary embodiments utilizing condensers can allow more flexibility, since a condenser may be used to adjust the angle of the output bundle of light, the back focal distance and the magnification. Further, in the exemplary embodiments illustrated in
Each of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be particularly advantageous for a specific application. For example, higher collection efficiency is likely to be achieved when the optical element disposed in front of a light source module has a concave surface that “wraps around” the front portion of the light source module thus collecting light from larger angles. A flat surface facing a light source module will also work to achieve comparable collection efficiency, but such optical elements are harder to mold. The illumination system performance is also usually slightly improved by increasing the number of light source modules, as well as by the use of the “aimed-in” configuration as compared to the exemplary embodiments utilizing shared condensers.
Another exemplary embodiment of the illumination systems of the present disclosure is illustrated in
Referring further to
The system of optical elements 35 may be configured so that it images one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules of the set 32 onto one or more pixels, such as 850, 850′, 850″, of the LCD 85, which in these exemplary embodiments would constitute the illumination target or targets (see
Another exemplary embodiment of the illumination systems of the present disclosure is illustrated schematically in
Referring further to
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure,
The light source module 172 and the collimating optics 174, 176 are configured so that collimation is achieved for the emitting surfaces 194R, 194G and 194B in such a way that the illumination is “indexed” with respect to a particular color. This may be accomplished by placing the emitting surfaces 194R, 194G and 194B near the focal plane of the collimating optics, so that spatial separation of the different color emitters is transformed into angular separation of the beams having different colors. For example, for an arrangement shown in
In the appropriate embodiments of the present disclosure, the set of lenses 114 including lenslets 174, 174′, 174″ and the set of lenses 116 including lenslets 176, 176′, 176″ may have configurations similar to the sets of lenses described in reference to other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, or they may have other suitable configurations, as appropriate for a particular application. For example, a pair of lenslets, one from the set 114 and one from the set 116 may be associated with each light source module. For example, in
Referring further to
Similar to other exemplary embodiments described herein, one or more of the emitting surfaces 194R, 194G, 194B, 194R′, 194G′, 194B′, 194R″, 194G″, 194B″, etc. of the light source modules 172, 172′, 172″, etc. may be given a specific shape to improve performance of the illumination system 100. For example, one or more of the emitting surfaces may be shaped to match substantially the general shape of the illumination target 117. In particular, if the target 117 is a square entrance of a light tunnel, one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules, such as 172, 172′, 172″, also may be generally shaped as squares. If, on the other hand, the target 117 is a rectangular image-forming device or a rectangular color zone or pixel of an LCD, one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules also may be generally shaped as rectangles. It will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that other shapes of the emitting surfaces and of the illumination targets are within the scope of the present disclosure.
Another exemplary embodiment of the illumination systems of the present disclosure is illustrated in
A lenticular array 165, including individual lenticules, such as 365, 365′, 365″, which may be disposed proximate to the imaging device 185, may be used to image one or more of the emitting surfaces, such as 294R, 294G, 294B, 294′R, 294′G, 294′B, onto a corresponding color zone or pixel, such as 385R, 385G, 385B, 385′R, 385′G, 385′B, 385″R, 385″G and 385″B. The lenticules may be biconvex or plano-convex lenses. In some exemplary embodiments, one or more of the emitting surfaces may be imaged onto a filter stripe. In that case, each individual lenticule focuses the beams corresponding to different colors originating from different emitters to different places on the imaging device 185, for example, onto different color zones or pixels. In particular, the lenticule 365″ may focus the beams corresponding to red, green and blue light originating from the emitting surfaces 294R, 294G and 294B onto the color zones or pixels 385R″, 385G″ and 385B″ of the imaging device 185. Further, as it has been explained in connection with other exemplary embodiments, the shapes of the emitting surfaces may be matched to the shape of the color zones or pixels. Thus, each light source module may illuminate a predetermined area of the imaging device, containing many color zones or pixels, so that its effective surface is substantially lit. Uniformity is achieved by calibrating all the light emitting modules and their constituent multi-color emitters to the proper output level.
Referring further to
With further reference to
The approach of the present disclosure simplifies designing illumination systems for a variety of specific applications and allows for many different configurations of light source modules, optics and imaging devices. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of collecting light from lambertian-type emitters, such as LEDs, more effectively than traditional systems. Thus, more light may be transmitted to the illumination target resulting in better overall efficiency. In addition, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may have better imaging characteristics. Furthermore, the present disclosure allows the creation of illumination systems that use fewer components, are compact, are versatile, and are easier and less expensive to manufacture.
Although the illumination systems of the present disclosure have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, dimensions and configurations of the systems of optical elements that are used in various embodiments of the present disclosure can vary depending on the specific application and the nature and dimensions of the illumination target. In addition, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may incorporate optical elements, components and systems described in U.S. Application entitled “Light-Collecting Illumination System”, Attorney Docket No. 59516US002, and U.S. Application entitled “Reshaping Light Source Modules and Illumination Systems Using the Same,” Attorney Docket No. 59526US002, filed concurrently herewith, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein to the extent they are not inconsistent with the present disclosure. Further, the present disclosure contemplates inclusion of additional optical elements into exemplary embodiments of the illumination systems constructed in accordance with the present disclosure, as would be known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Further, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be used with a variety of light sources, including white LEDs, color LEDs (e.g., red, blue, green or other colors) and multi-chip LED modules, e.g., RGB LED modules. RGB LEDs typically will allow achieving the best color performance, but white LEDs are acceptable for many applications.
Claims
1. The illumination system:
- a plurality of light source modules disposed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical aperture, each light source module comprising a light-emitting surface;
- a light tunnel having an entrance; and
- a system of optical elements disposed between the plurality of light source modules and the light tunnel;
- wherein the system of optical elements images the emitting surfaces of the light source modules onto the entrance of the light tunnel.
2. The illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein images of the emitting surfaces are substantially superimposed to form an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the entrance of the light tunnel.
3. The illumination system as recited in claim 2, wherein a shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces substantially matches, a shape of the entrance of the light tunnel.
4. The illumination system as recited in claim 3, wherein the shape of the entrance of the light tunnel is substantially square.
5. The illumination system as recited in claim 3, wherein the shape of the entrance of the light tunnel is substantially rectangular.
6. The illumination system as recited in claim 2, wherein a shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces is substantially square, a shape of the entrance of the light tunnel is substantially rectangular, and the system of optical elements is configured so that a shape of the illumination patch substantially matches the shape of the entrance of the light tunnel.
7. The illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein images of the emitting surfaces are closely packed thus forming an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the entrance of the light tunnel.
8. The illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein images of the emitting surfaces overlap thus forming an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the entrance of the light tunnel.
9. The illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein the light source modules and the system of optical elements are configured to form plurality of channels aimed substantially into the entrance of the light tunnel.
10. The illumination system as recited in claim 9, wherein the light source modules are disposed tangentially to and along a spherical surface.
11. The illumination system as recited in claim 9, wherein the light source modules are disposed substantially coplanar with each other and the system of optical elements comprises means for aiming at least some light from each light source module substantially toward the entrance of the light tunnel.
12. The illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein each light source module comprises a plurality of emitting surfaces of different colors disposed next to each other.
13. The illumination system as recited in claim 12, wherein each light source module comprises a first light-emitting surface of a first color, a second light-emitting surface of a second color and a third light-emitting surface of a third color.
14. The illumination system as recited in claim 13, wherein the system of optical elements comprises dichroic mirrors.
15. The illumination system as recited in claim 13, wherein the first, second and third colors are primary colors.
16. An illumination system, comprising:
- a plurality of light source modules disposed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical aperture;
- an illumination target; and
- a system of optical elements disposed between the plurality of light source modules and the illumination target,
- wherein the illumination target is an image-forming device having a plurality of mirrors rotatable about a pivot axis, and wherein the non-radially symmetrical aperture has a long dimension and a short dimension and is oriented so that the long dimension is aligned with the pivot axis of the mirrors of the image-forming device.
17. An illumination system, comprising:
- a plurality of light source modules disposed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical aperture, each light source module comprising a light-emitting surface;
- an image-forming device; and
- a system of optical elements disposed between the plurality of light source modules and the image-forming device;
- wherein the system of optical elements images the emitting surfaces of the light source modules onto the image-forming device.
18. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein images of the emitting surfaces are substantially superimposed to form an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the image-forming device.
19. The illumination system as recited in claim 18, wherein the illumination patch overfills the image-forming device.
20. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein a shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces substantially matches a shape of the image-forming device.
21. The illumination system as recited in claim 20, wherein the shape of the image-forming device is substantially square.
22. The illumination system as recited in claim 20, wherein the shape of the image-forming device is substantially rectangular.
23. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein a shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces is substantially square, a shape of the image-forming device is substantially rectangular, and the system of optical elements is configured so that a shape of the illumination patch substantially matches the shape of the image-forming device.
24. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein images of the emitting surfaces are closely packed thus forming an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the image-forming device.
25. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein images of the emitting surfaces overlap thus forming an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the image-forming device.
26. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein the image forming device is an LCD comprising a plurality of pixels.
27. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein the light source modules and the system of optical elements are configured to form a plurality of channels aimed substantially into the image-forming device.
28. The illumination system as recited in claim 27, wherein the light source modules are disposed tangentially to and along a spherical surface.
29. The illumination system as recited in claim 27, wherein the light source modules are disposed substantially coplanar with each other and the system of optical elements comprises means for aiming at least some light from each light source module substantially toward the image-forming device.
30. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein each light source module comprises a plurality of emitting surfaces of different colors disposed next to each other.
31. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein each light source module comprises a first light-emitting surface of a first color, a second light-emitting surface of a second color and a third light-emitting surface of a third color.
32. The illumination system as recited in claim 31, wherein the image forming device comprises first, second and third color zones, and wherein the system of optical elements images the first emitting surface onto the first color zone, the second emitting surface onto the second color zone, and the thud emitting surface onto the third color zone.
33. The illumination system as recited in claim 31, wherein the first, second and third colors are primary colors.
34. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein the system of optical elements comprises dichroic mirrors.
35. The illumination system as recited in claim 17, wherein the system of optical elements comprises a lenticular array disposed between the plurality of light source modules and the image forming device.
36. An illumination system comprising:
- a plurality of light source modules disposed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical aperture, each light source module comprising a light-emitting surface;
- a light tunnel having an entrance; and
- a system of optical elements disposed between the plurality of light source modules and the light tunnel,
- wherein the system of optical elements images the emitting surfaces of the light source modules onto the entrance of the light tunnel, and the system decreases etendue degradation.
37. The illumination system as recited, in claim 36, wherein images of the emitting surfaces are substantially superimposed to form an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the entrance of the light tunnel.
38. The illumination system as recited in claim 36, wherein a shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces substantially matches a shape of the entrance of the light tunnel.
39. The illumination system as recited in claim 36, wherein images of the emitting surfaces are closely packed thus forming an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the entrance of the light tunnel.
40. The illumination system as recited in claim 36, wherein images of the emitting surfaces overlap thus forming an illumination patch, said illumination patch substantially filling the entrance of the light tunnel.
41. The illumination system as recited in claim 36, wherein the light source modules and the system of optical elements are configured to form a plurality of channels aimed substantially into the entrance of the light tunnel.
42. The illumination system as recited in claim 36, wherein each light source module comprises a plurality of emitting surfaces of different colors disposed next to each other.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Feb 11, 2004
Date of Patent: Nov 27, 2007
Patent Publication Number: 20050174768
Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties (St. Paul, MN)
Inventor: Arlie R. Conner (Portland, OR)
Primary Examiner: Ali Alavi
Assistant Examiner: William J Carter
Attorney: Jay R. Pralle
Application Number: 10/776,152
International Classification: F21V 5/00 (20060101);